1st Company And Would Like To Haul Reefer...

I don't know much about our Temp Controlled division. I know they have a few trainers.

It is or will be possible to start out dry van and switch to refer.

I have a preference to start out reefer , but it is by no means a sticking point. If I like what CFI is offering (know that it is a good company) and the only way to get hired on is dry van, then I will certainly hire on hauling dry van. CFI will be a great opportunity for me, as I know the training is solid and the company is well organized. It's one of those companies that I could hire on and never feel the need to go elsewhere after a year or two. Thank you for the input, Big Scott.

We are still growing and I love the company. They are currently working on a dedicated route to get me home more. With the bringing of Transport America and UPS more opportunities are opening.

We are still growing and I love the company. They are currently working on a dedicated route to get me home more. With the bringing of Transport America and UPS more opportunities are opening.

What lane would that route be?

Update: Applications are being processed and several companies with which I submitted applications declined without much (or any) communication. The good news is that there are still a fair number of companies wanting continue vetting me to see if there is mutual interest. (Much more will be determined once I return to the US and start making phone calls.) So far, the companies with the highest level of interest are:

Butler Transport, Design Transportation, Dutch Maid Logistics, KLLM, May Trucking, Pride Transport, Sweet Express, Tyson Foods, Venture Transport, Western Dairy Transport

This is a list from among 65 applications. Of those, Butler Transport, Dutch Maid Logistics, Pride Transport, Sweet Express, and Tyson Foods seem the most interested in providing me with a real opportunity to drive trucks for them.

Each comes with their own pros and cons, but I will say that so far, Pride Transport, Dutch Maid Logistics, and Sweet Express are 3 that are at the top of my list. I really like the training program that was laid out to me by the Pride Transport recruiter. There was no feeding me lies and unrealistic expectations. Their training program is one of the longest for trucking companies, but I don't see that as a bad thing. Pride Transport does require signing a 6-month contract. I don't want to be jumping around from one company to another, so a 6-month contract is not a big deal to me. Dutch Maid Logistics is a company that Anne A. vouches for pretty readily. I have not heard anything negative about the company that I put much stock into. I have much to learn, but so far things look good. Sweet Express is a small (381 trucks) company that has been totally upfront from the beginning. I have been in contact with a DM at Sweet Express, versus someone from a recruiting department. There is just something nice about a company when you get that unfiltered, genuine response to questions that often doesn't come from recruiters. One thing that has all three of these companies currently at the top of my list is the fact that I don't get the feeling that any of the three would bring me in just to fill an orientation seat without being sure that my background checks out. There will be more in the future. Hopefully before Thanksgiving I have a training diary going. *Fingers crossed*

Hay, Kerry;

A TT member by the name of Dave Reid spent some good time with Pride Transport. You can read some of his info here:

Dave Reid's Comments

Also, Vikki M. (member) did a lot of research & chatting with Dave re: Pride; she almost went with them, but ultimately chose Wilson. I hope this helps a bit!

Any more info I can help with on DML, let me know! I know nothing of Sweet Express, however. Sorry!

~ Anne ~

Hay, Kerry;

A TT member by the name of Dave Reid spent some good time with Pride Transport. You can read some of his info here:

Dave Reid's Comments

Also, Vikki M. (member) did a lot of research & chatting with Dave re: Pride; she almost went with them, but ultimately chose Wilson. I hope this helps a bit!

Any more info I can help with on DML, let me know! I know nothing of Sweet Express, however. Sorry!

~ Anne ~

Hello Anne There are two training diaries I spent quite a bit of time in earlier today and one of them was Dave's (the other being MSgt C). I found both highly informative. I need to start finding those deep dive training diaries for the other companies that are high on my list. Are there any drivers for Dutch Maid Logistics who have provided such? Well, I am going to search right now, so by the time you respond, I will have already answered for myself. See around these parts, Anne.

~Kerry

Hay, Kerry;

A TT member by the name of Dave Reid spent some good time with Pride Transport. You can read some of his info here:

Dave Reid's Comments

Also, Vikki M. (member) did a lot of research & chatting with Dave re: Pride; she almost went with them, but ultimately chose Wilson. I hope this helps a bit!

Any more info I can help with on DML, let me know! I know nothing of Sweet Express, however. Sorry!

~ Anne ~

Hello Anne There are two training diaries I spent quite a bit of time in earlier today and one of them was Dave's (the other being MSgt C). I found both highly informative. I need to start finding those deep dive training diaries for the other companies that are high on my list. Are there any drivers for Dutch Maid Logistics who have provided such? Well, I am going to search right now, so by the time you respond, I will have already answered for myself. See around these parts, Anne.

~Kerry

Optical has a 'little bit' on Dutch Maid; and Marc Lee drove for them (but it didn't end well, on his part!) My other buddy Luc that drives there, that we hooked up, isn't on TT. My email IS in my profile, tho!!

Always help as I can, for sure!

~ Anne ~

Hay, Kerry;

A TT member by the name of Dave Reid spent some good time with Pride Transport. You can read some of his info here:

Dave Reid's Comments

Also, Vikki M. (member) did a lot of research & chatting with Dave re: Pride; she almost went with them, but ultimately chose Wilson. I hope this helps a bit!

Any more info I can help with on DML, let me know! I know nothing of Sweet Express, however. Sorry!

~ Anne ~

Hello Anne There are two training diaries I spent quite a bit of time in earlier today and one of them was Dave's (the other being MSgt C). I found both highly informative. I need to start finding those deep dive training diaries for the other companies that are high on my list. Are there any drivers for Dutch Maid Logistics who have provided such? Well, I am going to search right now, so by the time you respond, I will have already answered for myself. See around these parts, Anne.

~Kerry

Optical has a 'little bit' on Dutch Maid; and Marc Lee drove for them (but it didn't end well, on his part!) My other buddy Luc that drives there, that we hooked up, isn't on TT. My email IS in my profile, tho!!

Always help as I can, for sure!

~ Anne ~

I saw Marc Lee's diary and his friendly competition with Rob. It really hurt my heart to suddenly see a post where it was like "that's it," and then nothing. I know that trucking can be a brutal and humbling industry. I mean, just look at the young man who is not even 30 and is facing spending the rest of his life in prison because his brakes went out and he was not able to prevent the truck from killing several people. (Anyway, what happened with that situation is a different topic for a different thread.) So, we never know when things can drastically change in the blink of an eye.

I will look up Optical.

Here is the hard part. One of the companies I am interested in, Sweet Express, it's hard to find things from drivers on that company. I have seen some YouTube videos on the company and the two drivers with videos on them rave about what a great company it is. Sweet Express is a 381 truck company in Grand Rapids, MI. They haul dry van to all 48 states. Equipment is well maintained and they are serious about keeping drivers running.

Thanks for the help and support, Anne. Take care and see you around here.

~Kerry

Run a search on YouTube for Sweet Express or any of the companies for that matter. Granted some of the videos are rants from drivers and way too long. Some are company info-vids from the companies also

Hay, Kerry;

A TT member by the name of Dave Reid spent some good time with Pride Transport. You can read some of his info here:

Dave Reid's Comments

Also, Vikki M. (member) did a lot of research & chatting with Dave re: Pride; she almost went with them, but ultimately chose Wilson. I hope this helps a bit!

Any more info I can help with on DML, let me know! I know nothing of Sweet Express, however. Sorry!

~ Anne ~

Hello Anne There are two training diaries I spent quite a bit of time in earlier today and one of them was Dave's (the other being MSgt C). I found both highly informative. I need to start finding those deep dive training diaries for the other companies that are high on my list. Are there any drivers for Dutch Maid Logistics who have provided such? Well, I am going to search right now, so by the time you respond, I will have already answered for myself. See around these parts, Anne.

~Kerry

Optical has a 'little bit' on Dutch Maid; and Marc Lee drove for them (but it didn't end well, on his part!) My other buddy Luc that drives there, that we hooked up, isn't on TT. My email IS in my profile, tho!!

Always help as I can, for sure!

~ Anne ~

I saw Marc Lee's diary and his friendly competition with Rob. It really hurt my heart to suddenly see a post where it was like "that's it," and then nothing. I know that trucking can be a brutal and humbling industry. I mean, just look at the young man who is not even 30 and is facing spending the rest of his life in prison because his brakes went out and he was not able to prevent the truck from killing several people. (Anyway, what happened with that situation is a different topic for a different thread.) So, we never know when things can drastically change in the blink of an eye.

I will look up Optical.

Here is the hard part. One of the companies I am interested in, Sweet Express, it's hard to find things from drivers on that company. I have seen some YouTube videos on the company and the two drivers with videos on them rave about what a great company it is. Sweet Express is a 381 truck company in Grand Rapids, MI. They haul dry van to all 48 states. Equipment is well maintained and they are serious about keeping drivers running.

Thanks for the help and support, Anne. Take care and see you around here.

~Kerry

Kerry;

I typed a WHOLE PM to you on another forum my husband uses, (re: Sweet Exp.) and I can't send it because your profile is set to private, or something!!!

If you fix that, I'll send it... or copy & paste it here, if nothing else. It's kind of 'link specific' but I'll try!!

~ Anne ~